Sorry..in fact this post will probably get removed ... i assume cult, because a.) you need to pay to learn the 'secrets' and b.) its very badly 'new age'... please read "New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction" by Elieen barker...this will fully enlighten you!
if not, have fun...but if it gets too much...LEAVE!
love is the law, love under will
ken
Actually, very few of the forum members are customers... The books have their own sites and forums. This place is about research and sharing information freely with a common focus ; definitely not a cult!
You don't have to pay anything. The administrator of this forum just happened to write a book. This is just a forum.
QuoteSorry..in fact this post will probably get removed ... i assume cult, because a.) you need to pay to learn the 'secrets' and b.) its very badly 'new age'... please read "New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction" by Elieen barker...this will fully enlighten you!
Sorry to disappoint, but your post hasn't been deleted, simply moved to a more appropriate area.
Also, this site is definatly not a cult. As for paying for information or secrets, that has absolutly nothing to do with the definition of a cult.
From Websters:
Main Entry: cult
Pronunciation: 'k<
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: French & Latin; French culte, from Latin cultus care, adoration, from colere to cultivate -- more at WHEEL
1 : formal religious veneration : WORSHIP
2 : a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3 : a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4 : a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator <health cults>
5 a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b : the object of such devotion c : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion
Most people consider a cult to be a group of individuals blindly adherent to a specific set of rules/laws. That is the completel opposite of this site. Here, diverse opinions on many metaphysical concepts are discussed and debated openly. There is no censorship involved on this site. The only time posts are edited/removed or members given warnings on content is when the posts become inflamatory or derogatory to someone else.
Enjoy the site!
Welcome! It's good you decided to join our "cult".
The only time I aspire to be a Cultist is when I am playing Munchkin Cthulhu! my favorite cultist card is the crazy girl in the red robe holding the book labled "Bad Stuff" In real life though, I don't have enough time to devote to a cult. Or else I might start one... a Munchkin cult.
ALL HAIL THE GREAT CTHULHU!
Hey yeah... I remember hearing the Cthulhu thingy before... what is that again??
Cthulhu is a fictional monster (or Elder God? I don't remember.) from one of HP Lovecraft's stories.
a cult!? oh! sign me up!
when do we get to drink special punch and ascend???
This is not a cult, everyone here is free to believe what he wants to.
(But if the belief is different then the community, his/her karma will be REALLY low).
lol... special punch. Heh heh. Oh, and hey, H.P. Lovecraft was totally an astral projector. A lot of his "stories" involved himself going to sleep and waking up somewhere else. I looove Lovecraft.
Well I beg to differ. In some ways the AP is (IMHO) indeed a cult, or at least it "behaves" as a cult would behave. There are wrongs and rights in "this community" , and it is difficult to be a follower "in standing" unless certain views are shared. I would however draw a line and question what is wrong with that. One could argue that Mc Donalds is the CULT of the Big Mac.
Lets define and then ask questions
Quote from: Mustardseed on September 11, 2007, 13:50:42
One could argue that Mc Donalds is the CULT of the Big Mac.
That is so not a metaphor...
Mcdonalds is a cult. You have to pay for it and people worship it. Period.
...people worship McDonalds? ...man, strange.
not in the conventional sense. haha.
Has anyone else tried a Southwestern salad from McDnlds? They're GOOD.
lol, knew something was weird about mcdonalds when i worked there!
yeah i'll bet they're like freemasons of the fast food industry... the people down the bottom know nothing but the people at the very top rule the world :evil:
...hmm... you know. You might be on to something. I could've sworn I saw the manager and the cashier use a secret handshake the other day...
LOL!!! XD mason's don't rule the world you silly!
if they did...where's my family's share?!?!?!!?
actually its the few top internation bankers that rule the world so to speak. The rockerfellers in particular.
pretty much
money+fear=power
(i get fear, because they hold my money...tinkle them off say bye bye to my things)
well the federal reserve is a privately owned company... they control the money supply to the whole of the country. Each dollar is loaned out at interest so the country is forever in debt... they increase the money supply (inflation) to allow the goverment to pay of some of the interest owing on the money they loaned the goverment previously. The federal income tax is set up to basically "pay off" this interest and there isnt a single peice of legislation in america stating you have to pay income tax. So basically roughly 30% of the nations income is going straight into the pockets of the owners of the federal reserve... and they're laughing all the way to the bank. The best thing about it is that the money is backed by nothing so really its just worthless paper.
EDIT: Actually forums like these are the one bit of bonking TRUTH in this world. *raises glass* I propose a toast to the astral pulse forums and all its members :)
Right. And here I was thinking conspiracy theories had gone out of style.
Some people define a cult as a group that tries to somehow brainwash people into their point of view, by cohesion. In this case that Big Mac is the "saviour" and Whopper is the "enemy". A rather ridiculous example of cause. However I do find that The AP is very top heavy, or at least have been in the past. Some of you new folks have not seen this in action, but some of of those who have been here a while have. Many people have left the board because of this issue.
There has been several attempts of hostile take overs and a very consentrated harassment of folks who did not follow the "party line"
As I said lets define Cult and discuss it
Let's look at it objectively.
Cult's are build by extremely intelligent people that machiavellisticly use people without feelings towards them.
Because, they have no need to feel the simple emotions humans have learned today.
They know that good and evil is just an idea, and not something to be taken seriously.
They know the rules of what is good and what is evil though, but they know how to use these rules to make people do what they want.
And when they control all these people, they have an incredible ammount of power, more powerful than money or law.
There's nothing more powerful than being able to control a certain ammount of humans.
Some people forget that money and laws were made by humans, if you control humans, you allready have the power, no need for money or law.
Money is just a piece of paper.
Quote from: Sharpe on September 13, 2007, 15:12:35
Right. And here I was thinking conspiracy theories had gone out of style.
lol. Thats not a conspiracy or a theory. Its fact. Not too hard to understand either.
Cult? Oh... so where do I go to audition for Harry Potter then?
-AM
Ok, living is not a cult. Eating is not a cult. Discovering what the body can do is not a cult. A cult is built around fantasy. Making people believe that the body can do things that it can't is fantasy. Everybody cannot do AP or even have internal sight because it takes years of practice, but after the practice it can definitely be done.
Quote from: greggkroodsma on September 15, 2007, 10:29:20
Everybody cannot do AP or even have internal sight because it takes years of practice, but after the practice it can definitely be done.
Thats a contradiction. Of course everyone can do AP... for some people it can take years but others only weeks or maybe months.
Don't worry Mez, I was just quoting max payne :-D, seemed like a good oppertunity!
My parents are kinda in the whole freemasons thing, but they just don't know anything of world domination, maybe because of the pyramid style degrees. I dunno.
Quote from: Mez on September 16, 2007, 04:57:45
Thats a contradiction. Of course everyone can do AP... for some people it can take years but others only weeks or maybe months.
It makes more sense if you don't fantasize about it out of context. What I meant was the people who can't do it right away think it to be a fantasy and therefore a cult., but after some practise they can do it.
Quote from: greggkroodsma on September 15, 2007, 10:29:20
Ok, living is not a cult. Eating is not a cult. Discovering what the body can do is not a cult. A cult is built around fantasy. Making people believe that the body can do things that it can't is fantasy. Everybody cannot do AP or even have internal sight because it takes years of practice, but after the practice it can definitely be done.
I think people who don't AP shouldn't be forced into learning how to do it or even of its existence in the first place. Nor should the people who can AP, be told that they cannot.
-AM
Quote from: Awakened_Mind on September 16, 2007, 14:12:42
I think people who don't AP shouldn't be forced into learning how to do it or even of its existence in the first place. Nor should the people who can AP, be told that they cannot.
-AM
well put.
Quote from: greggkroodsma on September 16, 2007, 08:51:32
It makes more sense if you don't fantasize about it out of context. What I meant was the people who can't do it right away think it to be a fantasy and therefore a cult., but after some practise they can do it.
ahh understood.
Im always willing to tell people about it who are interested.
Attention creates interest and interest prolongs attention...
So if i mention it to someone and they are interested i'll always tell them all i can about it.
However if i mention it to them and they are not interested i do not continue to continue the conversation or to bring it up a lot. Its just a waste of energy. As for people who dont believe it because they cant do it at first...
The attention has created the interest and it the interest seems to be prolonging the attention so anyone who wants to debate its existence is free to do so. There are times when I see it as a waste of time and energy debating it and there are times when it is useful to debate it.
In debating all we know about these subjects it forces us to explore them further and understand them firmer and it brings to us new information. So there are definately times when debating things like this are beneficial to us. But I definately agree with AM.
Quote from: Awakened_Mind on September 16, 2007, 14:12:42
I think people who don't AP shouldn't be forced into learning how to do it or even of its existence in the first place. Nor should the people who can AP, be told that they cannot.
-AM
Dude, I totally agree... I found out about all this just this week, but I just happened to come across it on my own, through a bizarre series of events. It's without a doubt a personal thing.
That's a silly statement. It could be considered a cult if you weren't welcome to leave anytime if you don't like it. But you are. :-P lol.
This is no cult, silly :-D
Unfortunately, you don't realize... that every attractive and calculated group endeavor is a CULT. We all do it, some of us fail to recognize such behavior in our brothers and sisters as anything beyond mere curiosity or that it must always have to be strangely occult or extremely in-yer-face and nutso, soul-suckingly dangerous to one's health. Those newsgrabbing, end-of-times organizations are sensationalizing and apocalyptic, but most of us are only too happy to mine the ure, from our own personal cult, without doing any harm. That said, just don't ask me for money, I'm perpetually broke. :-P
Seems to be a matter of definition. I don't think we are fanatical enough to be called a cult, we don't hide from society this is a public forum. There's no money involved, no leader etc. No sacred rituals that are continued. No one is sacrificing anything. How can this be seen as anything other than a sharing of information?
-AM
Yeah, it's a FORUM!!!
fo·rum:
- an assembly, meeting place, television program, etc., for the discussion of questions of public interest.
Quote from: Awakened_Mind on November 01, 2007, 06:40:36
No one is sacrificing anything.
Hi AM
Have you not heard about the monthly meetings we hold in the middle of the forest? We always need a goat or two... :wink:
Sarah
:lol:
-AM
Is nudity optional?
Hi joycloud
It's compulsory on months with the letter 'y' in them. :-D
Sarah
Do the goats have to be nude too?
That's optional and is up to the goats. Some of them can be quite shy.
Sarah
I like my goats shy. :wink:
Ahahaaa!!!
Rather interesting ha while he very issue is hardly being addressed nor discussed, there is an abundance of sarcastic commens snide remarks ETC. which tend to divert the attention from the actual subject matter.
I have been attending the AP since the beginning. At that time it was run by Robert Bruce. Robert had ideological differences with Adrian and others on he forum, some believed that his explanation model were too religious, or spiritual you might say, and as a result he was ousted in a coup of sorts. Robert went on to start Astraldynamics.com and still is one of the foremost mystics and explorers in AP alive.
Then came the era of Frank. He played a part in dethroning Robert. He was then the most experienced member by far and very eloquent as well. Anyone who opposed his views were put down ridiculed and basically abused(as much as it is possible on the net) He finally left for health reasons and I think to finish his book.
The list goes on.........
Though there appear to be some degree of maturation in the AP, it still have some of the basic telltale signs of a Cult. Just to clear things for you a Cult does not generally cohere its members or followers to stay, most are there voluntarily, instead it claims inside knowledge which people want to obtain, so they can be on the "winning side". They willingly align themselves with the party line. Those who do not are ousted or barraged till they do.
Before you denounce this post think it through, and kindly avoid the snide remarks.
Regards Mustardseed
Consider the Karma system. What a stupid idea. It is a very specific tool to make a minority submit to the opinion held by the majority. A punishment of sorts. If all opinions are welcome, why "reward" some and "punish" others. Personally I care as little as a worms fart about it but it is not fitting in a public debate, it is a popularity barometer and has NOTHING to do with weather a statement or argument is right or wrong.
Hmm. I have yet to smited or rewarded. I wish I I'd been around here since the begining. Would be interesting to know all this background information.